The Telegraph’s Matt Law picked up in the early stages of Chelsea’s encounter against Crystal Palace, that 4 of the back 5 were speaking French, in a move that will undoubtedly help Edouard Mendy settle.
This measure being taken to ensure the best possible communication between members of the backline is certainly smart considering the woes that Chelsea faced with Kepa Arrizabalaga.
Kepa was clearly left to his own devices far too often, which ultimately led to the Spaniard constantly making costly errors between the sticks, a more vocal backline means they’ll work together much better.
As per Sky Sports, Chelsea signed Mendy from Rennes in a deal worth £22m. The 28-year-old looked comfortable on his Premier League debut, as the Blues beat the Eagles 4-0.
Mendy also turned in a solid display on his debut against Spurs in the Carabao Cup, something that left Frank Lampard extremely pleased.
With Mendy, Thiago Silva, Kurt Zouma and Cesar Azpilicueta all speaking French today, Ben Chilwell was the odd one out, Lampard commented on whether he’d need to learn after the game:
Chelsea have addressed their concerns at the back with the recruitment of Mendy, Silva and Chilwell in the transfer window following a poor defensive record last season.
Having the majority of the backline able to speak the same language is just another wise step that should allow for more communication and less errors leading to goals this season.
With the pressure firmly on Mendy – considering Kepa’s woes between the sticks last season – this is another measure that will help the Senegalese stopper settle at Stamford Bridge.